Virat Kohli's struggle with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has become a major talking point in cricketing circles, with former players and experts weighing in on what it would take for the Indian stalwart to overcome his weaknesses against deliveries outside the off-stump.
Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar recently shared his views on Kohli's perennial problem of getting dismissed on outside the off-stump deliveries.
Gavaskar advised Kohli to draw inspiration from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic knock of 241* against Australia in Sydney without playing a cover drive during the 2003/04 series.
"What Sachin Tendulkar did in Sydney? He was getting outside the off-stump in his previous three Test matches. He was getting out in the covers and slips. He didn’t play a single cover drive. He only played towards mid-off and mid-on and went on to score 241," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
"Just keep control on yourself, that ‘I am not going to play there [off stump line]’. Jaise Sachin ne double century banayi waise Kohli bhi bana sakte hain (So, like Sachin scored his double century, similarly Kohli can do it as well).”
However, Gavaskar’s suggestion hasn’t gone down well with Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma.
"Sunil Gavaskar has been a great player and his suggestions are always welcomed but I hope he suggests others also about their batting," Sharma said in an interaction with news agency PTI.
"He has been performing well since 2008. It will be unfair to say that he is out of form on the basis of two innings. He has already scored a hundred in this series. How many players have got a hundred in the series?" Sharma countered, citing his ward's second-innings ton at Perth when India had already gained a 300-plus lead.
Apart from his Perth hundred (100*), Virat Kohli has registered paltry scores of 5, 7, 11 and 3 in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far. In particular, his struggle against the new ball has become a cause of concern.
Kohli's first innings average in the 2024-25 season starting from the Bangladesh series is 9.124 in 8 completed innings.
When asked if he feels bad that Kohli has been criticized for not getting one fifty in eight consecutive Tests, Rajkumar Sharma replied: "To be honest, I didn't know much about the stats but the kind of player he is, he will bounce back. I think he is too good a player to be told anything and criticised because he has been the most consistent player in Indian cricket history."
He also dismissed concerns around Kohli’s technique. "Nothing to do with the technique or even the mind, he is mature enough and understands the game," Sharma stated.
Rajkumar Sharma revealed that he had spoken with Kohli, but refused to divulge details of their conversation to the media.
"We have been talking to each other and talked something that I wouldn't say in public. But he is a mature enough player and knows where he is going wrong. He will bounce back and you'll see that in the series itself."
(With PTI Inputs)
